The McIntire School of Commerce is pleased to invite you to our next Centennial Speaker Series virtual event, featuring

A Conversation with Sonja Hoel Perkins ’88
Venture Capitalist, Philanthropist, and Leader

Event Details: This special Centennial Speaker Series virtual event will feature an engaging conversation between alumna Sonja Hoel Perkins, venture capitalist, philanthropist, and leader, and Nicole Thorne Jenkins, the John A. Griffin Dean of the McIntire School of Commerce.

Learn more about Perkins’ time at McIntire, her journey from Grounds to being recognized globally as a top-performing venture capitalist, and her inspiration for founding and leading both Broadway Angels, an all-women’s investment group, and Project Glimmer, a national nonprofit that empowers girls. Time will be set aside for participant Q&A.

About Our Featured Speaker: Sonja Hoel Perkins has been investing “in people and companies that matter” for over 30 years. Considered one of the best performing and most senior technology-focused venture capitalists, the McIntire School of Commerce and Harvard Business School graduate has invested in several startups that have achieved multibillion-dollar valuations, including The RealReal, Uber, Roku, McAfee Associates, and Acme Packet. She spent 22 years at Menlo Ventures, where, at the age of 29, she became the youngest General Partner in Menlo’s history. Perkins has also been instrumental in creating positive change in the lives and careers of women and girls, having founded two organizations in 2010: Broadway Angels, an investment group of world-class women executives, and Project Glimmer, a nonprofit that empowers girls and has served more than a half million girls across the U.S. Perkins has received multiple awards for her work with the project.

In 2016, she launched The Perkins Fund, which invests in entrepreneurial tech companies with over 50% women founders represented. Perkins serves as a board member of Mercy BioAnalytics, Project Glimmer, the Pristine Mind Foundation, and UVA’s Center for Politics. She is also a member of the Maverick Collective, the C200, and Women Moving Millions. Perkins is ranked one of the “Top Most Powerful People in Global Finance” by Worth magazine; her life story is featured in the book Alpha Girls, by Julian Guthrie.

In celebration of the Commerce School's 100th anniversary across 2021-2022, McIntire launched its Centennial Speaker Series in 2019, featuring thought-provoking keynotes and conversations with visionaries in business—and beyond. Representing a wide range of industries across private and public sectors, the series offers relevant and insightful perspectives at the intersection of leadership and business. Learn more about the series and recent speakers here.

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